LIVERPOOL'S main postal sorting office was today (Tues) evacuated after white powder was discovered in a suspicious package.

The substance was discovered leaking from an envelope in the delivery room of the Copperas Hill depot at 7am.

It triggered a major emergency alert following incidents in America of anthrax bacteria being sent through the mail system.

Four hundred postal workers were evacuated from Copperas Hill by the emergency services. They were isolated in a car park at the rear of the building.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Copperas Hill was cordoned off by police while firefighters from Merseyside's Chemical Incident Unit entered the depot wearing protective suits and breathing apparatus to examine the package.

The stoppage meant there were no mail deliveries in the city centre this morning. The Royal Mail would not disclose who the suspicious letter was addressed to.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Mail said: "We can confirm Copperas Hill was evacuated at 7am after the discovery of a substance leaking from a package.

"It meant there was no mail in the L1 to L8 areas of the city centre this morning. We apologise to our customers. We have been working with the fire service and police and were doing everything we have been instructed to do."